Where Have They Gone?
by evgrrl09
Summary: Morgan and Garcia are now married and their honeymoon leads them to Storybrooke, Maine. Mary-Margret is still in love with David, but can't seem to figure out how to act on her feelings. But when both Derek and David disappear, Penelope and Mary-Margret form an alliance to find where the men they love have gone. Pre-Spell being broken. M/G and SW/PC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Okay, I'm kind of obsessed with crossovers for some reason. I recently started watching 'Once Upon A Time' on Netflix and finished the whole first season in a week. So this popped into my head. Enjoy!**

Penelope sat up in the bed at the inn she and Derek were staying at in Storybrooke, Maine for their honeymoon. Instead of going somewhere normal, she'd begged to go on a road trip up through New England. Next to her Derek was still sound asleep on his belly, a soft snore escaping his mouth. She giggled and kissed the top of his bald head. The entire year they'd been dating she'd never once heard him snore.

"I hope you didn't think I actually snore," he mumbled sleepily. He sat up and gave her a lazy grin before pulling her into a tender kiss that gradually turned more heated. Pulling away momentarily, he asked, "What time is it?"

She glanced at the old clock on the wall that was old wood decorated with swirling patterns and sighed. "My, my," she said dramatically. "It's after eleven right now. We've slept away half the day already." She rose from her place on the bed and heard her husband's grunt of protest.

"I don't mind spending the whole day in bed if you don't," he purred, stretching out and patting the space next to him. He waggled his eyebrows at her. "I think we're the only guests in this place, so if we want to start making all sorts of…_noise_, I think we can go right on ahead and do it."

"Oh, Hot Stuff," she purred right back. "I think we should at least try to make an appearance. Besides, I want to take a look around. This place looks like a lot of fun."

"If by fun you mean headboard banging, filthy, wonderful lovemaking," he said, "then I'm all for it." Laughing, she began to throw on a sexy pink thong and matching bra. He groaned. "Baby, if you're going to throw those lovely pieces of lingerie, can you at least give me a little something?" She shook her hips in response and turned around to give him a coy smile. "You're trying to kill me. I just know it." But he eventually got out of bed and wrapped his arms around her from behind, placing a kiss on her sweet-smelling neck. "I love you…Mrs. Morgan," he murmured.

Penelope turned around to wrap her arms around his neck and kissed his lips softly. "Love you right back," she whispered. Looking down at her lack of clothing, she added, "And now we have to get dressed. I want to go try out that diner. Granny's I think it's called."

"Then let's get going," he said, giving her bottom a swat as she went to throw clothes on.

When they were both dressed and headed out the door, they made the short walk to the diner and looked around the streets. In front of the diner there was a classic yellow Bug parked and blonde woman dressed in a red leather jacket and tall brown boots was stepping out of it. She caught sight of the Morgans and waved at them. Though she smiled, Derek noted that she was looking at them with distrust in her eyes. "Hi there," she said.

"Hey," Derek said, keeping his arm firmly around Penelope's waist. He looked at the woman not knowing whether or not she could be dangerous.

"I'm Emma Swan, Sheriff of Storybrooke," she said, extending her hand to shake Derek's and then Penelope's.

Penelope nodded and gave her the bright smile she gave everyone new she met. "I'm Penelope Morgan and this is my husband Derek. We're on our honeymoon right now and I wanted to do a New England thing instead of a cruise or something normal like that because that's –"

Derek put his hand over his wife's mouth and laughed at her. "Well, this is my motormouth wife," he said. "We were just going to get something to eat. The food any good here?" He jerked his thumb in the direction of the diner.

Emma nodded, her body language loosening up. "Yeah, it's really good," she said, gesturing for them to follow her inside. They entered the diner together and Emma waved to a beautiful girl dressed in tiny red shorts and red ribbons tying two pigtails in bows. "Hey Ruby," she called. She gestured to Penelope and Derek and said, "We've got some visitors in Storybrooke. They're on their honeymoon."

Ruby looked at them with bright eyes all of the sudden and smiled widely. "You're from out of town? I've never even left Storybrooke and I'm just wondering what it's like out there."

Penelope gave her an equally radiant grin and said, "Well, if you have some time later maybe we could sit down and have a chat. I can tell you all sorts of things."

"Really?" Her face was ecstatic. "I would love that."

"Let's get some food first," Derek said. "Talk later." He pulled Penelope in the direction of a table and she shot Ruby an apologetic look signaling that they could talk later. As they sat down, Derek took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "You were right. This is better than the Caribbean."

She grinned triumphantly at him and said, "I know. Always trust a Goddess' word."

XXXXX

Mary-Margret entered Granny's for her Saturday lunch with Emma when she noticed the visitors. The man was holding the woman's hand and they were chatting easily with each other. On the woman's finger was a glittering diamond ring and she got the distinct impression that they were newlyweds. She sighed and sat down where Emma was and huffed. "Hey," she said tiredly.

"Hey," Emma said, frowning as she looked at her. "You okay?" she asked. "You look upset."

Sighing again, she shook her head and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I'm just a little tired."

"Are you thinking of David?" Emma asked quietly so no one else could hear her. As Mary-Margret was about to protest, Emma cocked a blonde eyebrow at her and said, "You've got that look in your eyes. I can tell you're thinking about him."

Bowing her head and nodding, she said, "Okay, fine. I'm thinking about David. But I'm really trying hard to forget about him. Really I am." Nodding her head towards the two coffee mugs with whipped cream covered in cinnamon, she asked, "Please tell me one of those is for me."

Emma smiled and nodded. "Of course," she said, sliding the cup over towards her. Her eyes drifted to the door that had just opened and she smiled. "Hey Henry," she said, waving at him. "What's going on kid?" He sat down next to his mother and she rubbed his arm.

He smiled brilliantly. "Hey Emma, hey Ms. Blanchard," he said. "I'm glad I cau –" Before he continued, his voice stopped short and his eyes went wide as he stared at the visitors to Storybrooke. "When did they get here?" he demanded, shaking Emma's shoulder. "How long have they been here?"

Mary-Margret frowned. "Is everything okay Henry?" Emma nodded in agreement and they shared a concerned glance.

Pulling out his book of fairytales from his black backpack, he slammed it on the table, shaking it on its legs. Flipping it open, he scoured the pages until he found what he was looking for. Pointing to a drawing of two people wrapped in each other's arms and staring lovingly into the other's eyes, he said, "It's them! They're here!" Then he looked up at the two strangers to Storybrooke and grinned broadly. "They made it!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Next chapter of this is up! I hope you like it and thank you for the reviews so far :)**

"I think we've got a friendly little viewer," Penelope said, nodding her head in the direction of a young boy who was watching them curiously. His brown eyes were wide as he looked at them and she added, "I wonder why we're so interesting." She twirled a strand of hair on her index finger and returned her gaze to Derek. "Is it something in my teeth?" To give emphasis to her question, she grinned widely.

He just laughed and smoothed some of her hair back from across the table. "No, your teeth are the exact way they should be," he laughed. "You look beautiful." His eyes held hers and she could completely see the love he held for her. He was about to open his mouth to speak again, but Ruby came over with their coffees and she set them down for them. "Oh, thanks," he said, still not looking away from Penelope.

Ruby let out an audible sigh and Penelope looked up at her smile. "You two are so in love," she said wistfully before going off to keep working.

"We are, aren't we?" Penelope laughed and leaned across the table to kiss him on the lips softly.

"We're also clearly the topic of conversation," Derek said glancing around the diner space and noting the several people in there were glancing at them from the corner of their eyes. Their looks were casting towards them with suspicion and it was worrying him slightly. Though the sheriff had appeared wary at first, she'd warmed up to them slowly and left them alone. But the others around them were making him nervous; they eyed him and Penelope the wrong way. "I get the distinct impression they don't get many visitors." Looking back at her he noticed she wasn't as aware of the looks they were receiving as he was. He loved how Penelope could be less affected by the dangers of the world as he was, but it worried him that it put her in more trouble sometimes.

"Baby, are you okay?" her voice broke through his thinking. She tilted her head to the side to look at him with concern. "You got real quiet all of the sudden." Picking up her coffee mug, she blew on the steaming liquid before taking a sip.

He nodded and smiled. "I'm fine, Baby Girl," he said gently. "Just looking at my beautiful wife is all."

"Aww," she cooed. She winked. "Hot Stuff, you stop my heart. Always have."

Derek's grin widened. "Good to know," he murmured, his ankle rubbing against hers as they sipped their drinks.

XXXXX

Emma and Mary-Margret looked at each other momentarily before Emma asked, "What do you mean 'they made it'?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at the two visitors who'd just appeared in Storybrooke. "Who are they?"

"It's Derek, the Huntsman!" Henry exclaimed. He put the book at an angle so that both Emma and Mary-Margret could get a better look at the pages he wanted them to read and observe. Clearly depicted on the page he was pointing at was a man dressed in woods-clothing and aiming a bow and arrow at an unseen target that looked remarkably like the man sitting in the booth only a few feet away from them. "See, he was a poor boy living in the woods with his mother, father, and two sisters when his father was killed by a troll while they were out hunting. From then on, he had to learn to fend for himself and family. His father was a renowned hunter in their region and Derek learned everything on how to hunt from him. So when he was old enough he started to hunt down people for the King who did terrible crimes." He looked up at both his birth mother and teacher's perplexed looks, but kept going when they just stared at him. "One day, he was told to track down an Oracle who was interfering with crown business. That's where we meet Penelope…_her_." He pointed in the direction of the strangers' booth.

Mary-Margret sipped her drink and started to say, "Er, Henry…" The woman he had pointed to was now looking at their table with mild interest.

"The Oracle Penelope got caught by the Huntsman," he continued. The next page turn revealed a picture of a woman looking exactly like the girl in the booth, though she was dressed in a long midnight blue dress and carrying a scepter that was long and silver and her eyes were closed as if she were seeing a vision in her mind. "He was ordered to take her back to the King, but on the long journey back they became best friends and eventually fell in love. Derek realized he couldn't take her to the King because he would lock her up to only use her powers when he needed them. So he fought for her freedom with the help of his allies, Prince James and Snow White." Henry looked up pointedly at Mary-Margret.

She knew the little boy thought she was Snow White and that Emma was her "daughter." Though the book seemed to offer him some happiness and escape from his over-bearing adoptive mother, Regina – whom he thought the spirit of the Evil Queen resided – it concerned her that he was now pulling complete strangers into the story.

Emma beat her to the next question. "So, if these two are supposed to be in the book, why are they strangers to Storybrooke?" she asked. "If the fairytale characters can't leave here, then how have these two been living lives outside of the town?"

Henry shook his head. "I have no idea," he said with a contemplative look on his young face. "But I'm going to find out at some point." His final statement was said with a nod of satisfaction.

As Mary-Margret was about to say something, the ringing of the bell at the diner door that signaled someone was coming in or out of the building jingled with the announcement that someone was arriving. She glanced back briefly to see who it was and her heart halted beating in her chest when she saw who it was. David and his wife, Catherine.

Their eyes met briefly and their gazes held. A fuzzy ringing began in her ears and she realized she couldn't breathe for a moment. Shaking her head once though, she returned her gaze to Henry and Emma. Emma looked at her sadly, but Henry was getting ready to continue with his tale.

"You guys see?" he exclaimed. "Their coming means that things are going to swing into faster motion here!" He pointed again to another page, this time to the two people he was discussing in battle stances, the Huntsman with his bow raised and the Oracle with her hands outstretched and magic flowing from her fingertips. "James and Snow, together with Derek and Penelope's help, go into a fierce battle against the Evil Queen that leads to a massive victory! Now that they're here –"

"Henry!"

Henry stopped talking immediately and his gaze shifted uncomfortably to the diner's entrance where Regina Mills had just entered. Her heels clicked against the tile floor of Granny's and she came to a stop in front of the table, casting a look of malevolent hatred towards both Mary-Margret and Emma.

"Henry, it's time to go," she ordered.

Her response was a gulp.

XXXXX

Penelope's eyes shot to the domineering and stunning woman who'd just entered the diner and was stalking towards the table where Sheriff Swan sat with a shy-looking young woman and a boy of about ten. Her ruby red lips were pursed in irritation.

"Henry, what are you doing here?" she demanded. "You can't just wander off –" She paused immediately when she saw Penelope and Derek. Her head cocked to the side and a flash of something crossed her eyes. Penelope couldn't quite read what she'd seen in the woman's near-black eyes, but whatever it had been was dark.

"Umm, Derek?" she whispered uncomfortably as the woman turned her attention fully towards them and started to come to their table.

He didn't have a chance to hardly look up when the woman had reached them. His eyebrows shot upwards and he looked at her oddly. "Umm, can we help you?" he asked, his eyes flicking to Penelope's…just in case.

"Regina Mills, Mayor of Storybrooke," she said bluntly. "I'm also wondering what brings you folks through here. We don't get a lot of…strangers."

Penelope's voice perked up at that moment, "Oh, well we're just on our honeymoon going up and down New England. I'm Penelope Morgan and this is my husband Derek." She wasn't sure how to approach this woman and she tried to play it on the down low.

"May I ask what led you to Storybrooke?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip. "Why'd you decide to come here?"

His wife was about to respond, but Derek fixed Regina with a hostile look and asked, "Is there a problem with us being here?"

Regina smiled with false sweetness. "Of course not," she said. "Just be careful where you tread…Mr. and Mrs. Morgan." She sauntered off and put her arm around the shoulder of the young boy who had been staring at them. He looked at them both and smiled before the woman ushered him out of the door.

"What the hell was that about?" Penelope murmured, watching as the mayor and the boy she assumed to be her son disappeared. "She looked at us like she knew us from somewhere and really hated us."

As Derek was about to respond, his cell phone rang at his hip and he glanced down at it cursing. "It's Hotch," he said. "He told me he wasn't going to bother us, but he sent a text saying he needs to talk to me momentarily. I'll be back in a minute, Baby Girl." He rose from the seat and kissed her before leaving the diner to talk outside on the phone. Penelope looked at him through the window and let out a sigh, picking up her coffee to sip it.

XXXXX

Every time Mary-Margret saw Regina taking Henry away from Emma it made her upset for her new friend. Regina was completely heartless. She looked at Emma's hard face and asked, "Are you okay?"

Emma looked back at her and nodded. "I'm fine," she said tersely. She wasn't meaning to be unpleasant; she was so upset she didn't know how to express her emotions about it. Looking at her watch, she said, "Ah, crap. I have to get going. I'll see you soon."

"Okay, bye," Mary-Margret said with a wave. Emma exited the diner and she sighed. Leaning her elbows on the table, she stared at her coffee and tried desperately not to think about the man sitting at the counter with his wife. She didn't even notice the woman who'd come up to the table.

"Hi there," a voice said. "Can I join you?"

Mary-Margret looked up and saw the blonde woman who Henry had called an Oracle. "Oh, um, sure," she said gesturing to the chair. "So, my friend Emma said she met you outside and that you and your husband are on your honeymoon." She smiled. "That sounds nice." It was slightly awkward having this stranger talking to her for practically no reason. But she seemed nice enough and would provide her distraction from David.

The woman nodded and extended her hand to shake Mary-Margret's. "I'm Penelope Morgan," she said with a friendly grin. "It's nice to meet you." Tilting her head to the side, she lowered her voice to a whisper. "And I know I haven't met you ever before and only started talking to you five seconds ago, but I wanted to let you know that I understand what that's like." She looked towards David and nodded subtly. "I had to watch my husband with all sorts of girlfriends before we got together. It was agony."

She studied the woman carefully and realized that she was genuine with her words. There was nothing but concern in her gaze, even for a complete stranger. Smiling shyly, she responded, "Oh. Well, thank you." Her gaze drifted to David again and this time, for the first time that morning, their eyes met and there was a great sadness in his. She turned back to Henry's so-called Oracle and felt tears in her eyes. "It's hard, you know?"

Penelope nodded. "I know it is," she said compassionately. "I know."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So here is a third chapter of this little tale. I love writing this :) Now, as for the way this goes, this chapter takes place in the fantasy world. For those of you who have seen the show, you know what I'm talking about. Those of you who haven't, this takes place actually **_**inside**_** Henry's book where their "true" lives are. Thanks for the reviews by the way!**

The sound of the woods was the only noise in the Enchanted Forest. The Huntsman stood completely still from his hiding place that was a perch in the trees where he had perfect views of his target. It was a doe that looked to be healthy and around one hundred pounds. It was enough to last him and his mother and sisters at least two weeks. It being winter, food was scarce and hard to come by. Finding a deer this time of year was a blessing. So far they were making it by well enough, but they were still hungry some nights. So everyday, he embarked into the forest to forage, hunt, and barter with other woodsmen so they could stay alive.

A twig snapped and his alert eyes shot to the unmoved deer. Drawing his bowstring back and taking aim, he let loose the arrow and it landed squarely in the doe's breast, killing her instantly.

The Huntsman descended from his treetop perch and went towards the animal that lay dead. He knelt down beside its corpse and pulled his arrow out to reinsert in his quiver. Picking up the deer, he slung it over his shoulder. The weight felt like nothing; he could easily lift more if he had to. He started to walk out of the clearing to gather up his foraging bags before he could get a move on to his house.

As he began to return to his family's home, the sun was beginning to set and a light flutter of snow was starting to fall. He breathed in the fresh, crisp air and increased his pace; the weather for the night was going to be frigid.

When his home he shared with his mother and sisters, he paused for a moment at the carriage bearing the Royal Seal of the King. Two of the Royal Guards sat upon their horses beside the carriage and looked about the woods for any signs of movement that might have been out of place. Gently he placed the deer next to a tree where he could come retrieve it later. He moved to where his presence would be known to the soldiers.

"Who goes there?" one of them yelled, raising his crossbow and aiming it towards him.

"My name is Derek," he said, holding his hands up to show he was concealing no weapons. "I'm the Huntsman who lives here." He raised an eyebrow at the two men.

The two men exchanged glances before one nodded. "You may enter."

"Thank you," he said with a nod. He had no idea why the King of all people was at his home, but he had a feeling it was nothing good. Knocking twice on the door before opening it, he found his mother sitting at their humble kitchen table. She was wearing her best cotton dress and was sitting upright and proper. Next to her sat a severe looking man with no hair and steely eyes that could cut Derek's sharpest ax into pieces. Around the stove his sisters worked furiously to prepare tea.

Derek bowed his head. "King George," he said before he looked up again.

The King rose from his seat and went towards him. "Huntsman Derek, I've heard of your father's accomplishments," he said, eyeing him carefully. "And consequentially I've heard of your accomplishments. You're supposed to have the most perfect aim of anyone in the Forest."

"Your Majesty, it's an honor to hear you say that," Derek said. His eyes met his mother's, but he immediately looked back at the King. "Is there anything you need me to do for you?"

"There is actually," he replied. "I'm in need of someone who can track someone down for me. A huntsman, actually." He held up a 'Wanted' poster advertising a man wanted for treason and murder. Handing it to Derek, he added, "Jonathan Flynn. I need him found. He's a danger to the Crown…and its people."

Derek took the paper from the King and observed it. He'd heard rumors about Jon Flynn. The man was said to have killed a whole troop of men all by himself. "I've heard of him," he said.

"If you can successfully get him, we have a very…large sum of gold for you and your family," the King said. His coarse eyes met Derek's warm brown ones and he added, "And if you continue to lend us your services, your family will be rewarded even more handsomely." He seemed to note the uncertainty on Derek's face. "Think about it…you'll never go hungry. Your family will never go hungry. And you will have the eternal gratitude of the kingdom."

Looking at his family, all three of them hungry and thin from the cold winter it had been, Derek thought about how much he needed the money. Deer wouldn't pop up all the time like they had earlier. Working for the King wasn't his idea of honorable work, but it was his only option.

If he wanted them to live, he was going to have to take the job. Or jobs, as King George would have it.

Derek nodded once, shortly, and said, "I humbly accept, Your Majesty's offer. If you can immediately move my family to somewhere safe, I will set out and find Flynn and bring him to you."

King George smiled. "Then we have an agreement."

Somehow his smile made Derek feel like his life was changing course he wouldn't be able to alter.

XXXXX

"It was another loss," James grumbled as he put his sword down and kicked at a table. "I just don't see how she keeps evading us!"

Snow looked at her Prince Charming and felt a surge of sadness go through her. He was so frustrated and tired lately. "Then we'll just have to keep trying," she said firmly. "Regina will have to come out and actually fight us at some point. She can't run and hide forever."

"Snow's right, James," Red-Riding Hood said. "At some point she'll have to show herself."

"Between fighting George _and_ Regina, though, I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to keep this up," he said dejectedly. "We need more fighters."

Biting her lip, Snow's face became thoughtful. "Maybe what we need to do is draw her out instead of waiting for her to come to us," she said, starting to pace. "George has been awfully quiet lately. Maybe we could just focus on my stepmother for a little while."

"We'll still need more men to fight," Red's grandmother said, looking up from her crossbow. "Regina's too powerful and her armies outnumber us greatly."

"We have to fight against her!" Grumpy grunted. "If we don't then we'll lose everything."

James sighed and rubbed his temple tiredly. "I need to go think for a moment," he said, heading for the entrance to the tent. "I'll be back in a little while." He disappeared out of the tent and Snow let out a sigh of her own. The fight against Regina and the fight to take back the Kingdom from George were taking their toll on him. Snow tried to follow him off, but Granny grabbed her arm gently and shook her head.

"Give him a minute, Snow," Red said in agreement with her grandmother's gesture. "Let him think. He'll be back."

Snow watched as her Charming walked away and said reluctantly, "Alright then."

XXXXX

James sat down on a tree stump in the middle of the woods and put his head in his hands. Everything felt like hell. Since his mother's death he'd been so stressed out, so full of grief. His only consolation was Snow. She was the love of his life. They had true love; it was proven by the kiss that had woken her from her slumber Regina had put her in. But lately even their engagement wasn't keeping him focused.

"Red and Granny said I should leave you be for a little while, but I couldn't," Snow's voice came from behind him. She knelt in front of him and took both of his hands in hers. "Let me help you," she said, putting her hand on his cheek. "I love you very much and I can't seem to figure out how to help you. Let me help you, my love."

James looked at her curiously and kissed her. "You complete me, Snow," he told her honestly. "I just don't know how we can win this fight against two of the most evil people alive. You saw what happened to my mother. I wouldn't be able to survive if that was you. It just wouldn't be possible."

Snow smiled with a look of sadness and love in her eyes. "Oh, Charming," she murmured lovingly. "You'll never have to lose me. I'm tough." She smiled wryly.

He laughed slightly. "I know you are," he said. "I know you are."

XXXXX

"James' forces are getting closer with each passing day," a strategist said quietly as Derek entered the King's war room. "There are rumors he has not enough men to launch a true attack, but because Regina has been getting out of harm's way in time he's possibly planning his focus on us."

George sighed. "We need the Oracle," he said. "And we need her fast." Turning towards Derek, he shot a look to his strategist that told him to stop talking. "Ah, Huntsman," he said, clapping his hands together. "Glad you could join you."

Derek had been working for the King for three months and he'd so far caught at least twenty people for him. He hated it, but his family was living comfortably so he kept the job. So he continued to respect the King's wishes. "Your Majesty," he said, nodding respectfully. "How may I be of service this time for you?"

The King pulled out another poster. "The target this time is someone of great power," he explained. "It's an Oracle. A very powerful one. You will need all of your strength."

He nodded. "Where can I find him?" he asked questioningly.

"_She_," George corrected. He turned his back on Derek and pulled out a thick pouch of gold. "Capture the Oracle Penelope and bring her back here to me. I need her to help me in the battle against James."

Derek looked at the picture of a beautiful woman and frowned, finding it difficult to believe this woman was so essential to the King."

King George fixed him with a hard as diamond loo and said harshly, "It is not your job to ask questions," he snapped. "And you will bring this woman and you will bring her to me." He arched a brow at Derek. "You don't want to send your family back to poverty do you?"

Fixing the King with as subtle as a glare as he could manage and said, "As you wish, Majesty. I will find your Oracle and bring her to you."

"Good," George said. "Very good."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own neither.**

**Here's more in the fairy tale world. Thanks for the reviews so far guys! It means a lot to me when they show up in my inbox **

"Charming!" Snow said excitedly. "George has a supply train coming through the woods this way! We can go sabotage his supplies." She entered their tent and looked for him. He was sitting at his strategy table pouring over maps. "Charming?" she asked questioningly. "Is everything alright?" She went to put her hands on his shoulders and gave them a squeeze.

His head was bowed. "Snow, I just feel so frustrated lately," he said dejectedly. "This war we're fighting, this battle that we're enduring every day…it's taking its toll on me. I just want it to be over. I just want you to be safe from harm."

Snow kissed the top of his head and sighed. "We will endure this, and we will win the war," she said with confidence. "Against both Regina and George. Because we have each other. And we have the most dedicated comrades in the kingdom. No matter how long it takes, we will take back the kingdom and make it a safe place for all in the land."

He looked up at her and smiled gently before taking her hand. "You always know how to cheer me up, don't you Snow?"

She grinned widely. "Of course I do! It's what I do."

He stood up from his seat and wrapped her in his arms to kiss her. "Now what was that about a Royal supply train?"

XXXXX

Snow perched in the tree tops under the light of the full moon to wait for the carriages to come by. In the other trees were several others. The Dwarves had cut down a tree to block the road that led to the King's castle. Red sat perched on the tree trunk with her hood pulled up over her brunette mane; she was the bait. She, with her incredible beauty, would distract the Guards so that the rest of them could attack the carriages.

The carriages stopped when the lead one called out for a halt. Their plan was going to work if all went well. "Well, what do we have here?" a Guard said, dismounting his horse and going to stand in front of Red. He held a torch in his hand to get a closer look at her. "It's a little late to be out here all alone, isn't it? Especially for a young girl like you."

Red stood up and smiled. "I think I can handle myself just fine," she said sweetly as she started to untie the strings of her blood red cloak that protected her from Changing during the full moon cycle. But when they needed it, it could be their greatest weapon. "And I'm about to right now." Her eyes turned yellow and her body began to shift into that of a wolf. The Guard started to back up and removed his sword from his belt, holding it out in front of him. All the rest of them drew their own swords, but they weren't fast enough for the wolf that was pouncing from one of them to another.

"Now!" James hollered and they all swung their way out of the trees and descended on top of the carriages. Snow jumped off the top and thrust her sword into the nearest Guard. Red let out a vicious howl. The Dwarves swung their axes. Granny shot anyone her crossbow could find.

Because of Red's wolf form they were able to finish off the Guards in only a matter of minutes; they didn't stand a chance against her. Their bodies lay strewn across the road and James was looking around to make sure no Guard was still alive.

"It's clear in the surrounding areas," Grumpy said, his axe slung over his shoulder and his fellow dwarves following him. "No one got away."

Snow grinned. "So, we've had a successful mission," she said happily. "We got done what had to be done."

James came towards her and smiled, handing her a knapsack. "Then let's get this stuff loaded up and burn these carriages." He kissed her softly and they set off to work.

XXXXX

The Huntsman had been travelling to find the Oracle Penelope for many weeks now. He'd gone through wind and rain, sun and blue skies. The Oracle had proved harder to find than he or the King had anticipated. He was now making his way into the mountains, going up the winding paths lined by evergreen pine trees and the sun not shining through them. When the paths became to rocky and narrow, he had to abandon his horse and continue the rest of the journey on foot. The entire time he fretted about his family, hoping the King would keep his promise and not let them want for anything.

"Damn," he cursed as he tripped over a tree root, bruising his knee on the process. He rose from the ground and kept going forward. He had to find this Oracle soon or he would go mad. The endless searching was taking a toll on him. It was rare that it would take him so long to track someone, even a powerful spell caster. She was almost impossible to find.

As he walked along, a sudden force threw him back into a tree. He groaned as his back hit the bark roughly. "What in the name of –" He tried to move, but an invisible force kept him trapped against the trunk of the tree.

"Well, well, who are you?" a musical voice said. A beautiful woman dressed in a midnight blue gown and flowers in her hair.

He glared at her. "Care to let me down?" he demanded.

She sauntered forward towards him and tapped her chin with her index finger. "Now why would I do a thing like that? After all, you are here to capture me for the King aren't you?" He didn't respond and leaned forward with her hands behind her back. "Well? Aren't you?"

"You're smart," he said, flashing her a grin. He knew he was handsome; maybe charming this woman would help.

But apparently it wasn't going to. She just laughed. "Oh, you are handsome. Even in the flesh," she purred. "I saw you coming, you know. An extremely skilled Huntsman you are. Your work for the King is also massively impressive. How many of them have you caught so far? Twenty?" Her ruby red lips curled into smile and she started to pace in front of him. "How much has he told you about the men and women you catch? Anything?"

He snorted. "It's not my job to ask questions," he said. "I only capture them to help my family. If I catch them, they don't starve."

She whirled to face him again and put her hands on her hips. "He uses them for his own use," she snapped. "He imprisons them." Her last sentence came out as a hiss.

"Will you let me down and maybe we can talk?" he asked. "I won't do anything. You have my word."

Studying him, she tilted her head to the side. With a snap of her fingers the force disappeared and he dropped to his feet. He dusted off his back and held up his hands. "See? I'm not going to harm you. I won't touch you."

She smiled and sat on a stump in front of him, crossing her legs and smoothing the skirts of her silky dress. "So? You wish to speak to me?"

He nodded. "Yes," he admitted. "I would love to talk to you." He gazed at her intently for a moment and felt a slight flutter in his heart. This woman, this Oracle, was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He couldn't take his eyes off her. "You know, I may be handsome, but I must say, you're incredibly beautiful. Probably the most beautiful I've ever seen." He sat down cross legged in front of her and put his chin in both hands.

"You're so flattering," she said with a laugh in her voice. "But do you really expect that to fool me?"

"Oh, it's no lie," he said honestly.

"Oh, I didn't think it was," she said with a coy smile. He rose from his seat and went closer to her, wondering if she would flinch away. But she didn't. She sat there with a smile on her face. Then her eyes grew wide, they turned white, and her mouth formed an "o" shape. "You –"

He grabbed her by her shoulders and yanked her towards him, her back to his front. "Got you now," he said with a smirk before attaching a collar to her neck. The very collar King George had given him to bind the Oracle's powers as soon as he found her.

"I don't know why I thought I could trust you!" she spat, yanking herself away from him. She turned to glare at him.

He grinned. "I suppose my charms worked on you after all," he cooed, pushing her down onto the stump again. "Sit down."

"So I guess you are taking me to the King now," she hissed. "I'm going to be locked up like a dog! And you'll go on living your life in whatever way you see fit."

Grabbing her by the upper arm, he began to pull her out of the clearing where she had bound him to the tree. "It's none of my affair what he does with you." Roughly, he yanked her in the direction of the path. "And frankly I don't care to know."

XXXXX

Penelope followed the Huntsman along and out of the mountains. Several times she tried to run away, but each time he'd caught her; he was too skilled a woodsman. But despite everything, the two of them got to know each other. They had at least a month's journey to get back to the castle and the long days of travel gave them time to talk. By the time four days had passed, she felt like she'd met the person who was her best friend. All of her time alone in the mountains, plagued by the visions that had sent her into exile in the first place had left her painfully lonely and in need of someone to talk to.

"What was it like to live in the mountains all those years?" Derek asked her one night as they were lying down to rest for the evening. "Were you ever lonely?" He was poking at the fire and when he looked up at her, his eyes were curious.

She rolled her eyes. "Really, Huntsman?" she said. "You think I wouldn't be lonely up there all by myself?"

"Then why did you go?" he asked, moving to sit closer to her. "Up there, I mean?"

His eyes gazing into hers made her gulp. His being so close to her made her nervous. "Well," she choked out, "too many people, like your King, wanted to use me for their own personal gain. So I hid. But I missed everyone I knew." She sighed. "I was only twelve years old when I went up there."

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "Truly. I'm sorry there's nothing I can do for all those years that you dealt with it." He pushed some of her hair out of her face to see her eyes better. "I'm –" His voice stopped and he leaned forward towards her face so that his lips were hovering above hers. "Penelope…"

As soon as her name left his lips, she cleared her throat and backed away. "Well, I'm going to get some rest," she coughed. "If we're going to leave at dawn then I need to get some rest."

A solemn look overtook his face and he nodded once, his jaw set hardly. "Yes, of course," he said quietly. "Goodnight, Penelope." He lay down beside the fire and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.

XXXXX

When the fire had died down and the embers were still glowing softly, Penelope was still awake, her eyes wide open and staring at the star covered sky. Her heart had been racing since Derek's lips had almost touched hers several hours before. Every nerve was on fire and she couldn't slow her pulse. She knew she should stop her feelings from getting out of control, but her mind was made up; she was in love with the Huntsman. The very man who'd been sent to capture her and take her back to the one man who would imprison her. She couldn't stop the fluttering in her stomach every time she laid eyes on him.

And that was precisely why she had to leave him. To stop herself from loving the man who was going to take away her freedom. Who had already taken away her freedom. Turning onto her side, she looked at his sleeping form and breathed a sigh of relief before rising as quietly as she could. With one last look at him, she wiped a few tears away and began to hurry away…until she tripped over the skirt of her dress.

"Going somewhere?" Derek's voice growled as he stood above her. "You didn't really think I would be asleep did you?" Glaring at him, she kicked out at his ankles, causing him to fall down, landing on top of her so that he was straddling her waist. She squirmed beneath him and tried to escape before he pinned her wrists above her head and held her down firmly. Her breathing had increased and she kept fighting against him. "It's pointless," he told her. "You'll not get away from me."

"Let me go," she begged, not able to contain her tears. "I can't go there. I can't let him imprison me."

He shook his head. "I can't let my family starve," he argued. His face softened. "But I won't let him do that to you. I'll make sure he can't imprison you. He'll get your help and then you'll leave. With me."

She bit her lips. "Why would you do that?" she whispered almost inaudibly.

"Because I love you," he said firmly, before putting his lips to hers gently and kissing her tenderly. She gasped when he pulled away and when he did, she used every ounce of strength she had to roll on top of him and kiss him deeply.

"And I love you," she whispered back.

XXXXX

"The first victory in a while," James said proudly, sipping from his wine goblet. "Excellent job…everyone!" He nodded towards Red. "Great acting job, Red. Perfect in fact."

She nodded her head and smiled brilliantly. "I do have certain talents that I can utilize," she said appreciatively.

Snow turned to look at James who was beside her and smiled at him with pride. "We're one step closer to getting to George," she said. "A small step. But a step nonetheless."

He looked at her from his seat and tilted her chin up to kiss her softly. "I never could have done it without you," he said truthfully. "All of us, everyone with us, we're in this together."

"And we're going to win it," she said, putting her hand to his cheek. "We'll take back this kingdom."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own neither Criminal Minds nor Once Upon A Time.**

**Here's Chapter 5! I'm having a ton of fun writing this :) Two of my favorite shows in one :) Happy days!**

Penelope and Derek sat under an oak tree in the middle of the woods under the fading light of twilight. Her head was leaning against his broad chest and he was running his long fingers up and down her arm. Kissing the top of her head, he murmured, "We'll be to the King's castle tomorrow.

A rush of fear went up her spine and he could practically feel it. "I'm scared," she whispered.

He laughed and said, "What, you? Frightened? I can't imagine such a thing. You're too brave to be frightened of someone like the King. You weren't scared of me, were you? With a tongue like yours, you'll be the one scaring him."

She hadn't found it funny. "Derek, what if he doesn't let me go? What if he puts me in a cage?" Her tone of voice went up at octave. "What if –"

He hushed her. "If I could keep my family from being sent back into poverty and not take you to him, I would," he said, planting a kiss next to her ear. "I would take you so far away that no one would find us. As soon as I talk to the King, I'll do just that; I'll take you away. I have gold from my previous hunts." He entwined their fingers together and murmured more softly, "I want to marry you, Penelope. I want us to have a life together." Another kiss dropped on her neck and she smiled at how much she wanted his words to come true. She could see the two of them together, living the life that he was describing, far away from anyone else in the world.

But then she remembered where they were going, and everything he said felt like it was being yanked from her fingers.

She turned to look at him with tears in her eyes, her hand touching his cheek gently. "I can't lose you," she whispered with tears rolling down her cheeks. "I can't lose my freedom. I've seen what he does to his prisoners. What if we can't let him to let me leave?"

He kissed her to stop her frantic speech. "I won't let that happen," he told her, tilting her chin up to look at him more closely. "I swear it to you. I'll die before I let him keep you in a cage." Deepening his kiss, he cupped her cheek in his large hand. "You, Oracle, have put a spell on me. And for that I will forever be grateful." He smiled at her, using his perfect smile to try and ease her worries.

Biting her lip, she leaned against him again, trying to relax. She closed her eyes. "I love you Huntsman," she whispered against his shirt. "I love you very much."

XXXXX

"His Majesty the King will see you both now," the steward said, gesturing in the direction of the King's private chamber. "He's been expecting you, Huntsman. And his prize." His eyes flicked to Penelope and he smirked at her fright-filled eyes. Derek, sensing her fear and anxiety, took her hand, but it did little to quell her feelings.

"It will be alright," he whispered in her ear. "I won't let them hurt you." A snicker arose from one of the guards, but Derek ignored him.

They were escorted into a richly decorated room where King George was standing in front of his fireplace, staring into the flames. He looked up at the pair and his eyes lit up with greed when they fell on Penelope. His face gained a devious expression that could freeze blood. Her muscles tensed and Derek wished there was something he could do to help ease her fright.

Letting go of her hand, Derek dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "Your Majesty," he said respectively as he rose just as swiftly. He went to put his hand on Penelope's back. He looked in her eyes and tried using his own to say, _Trust me._ "The Oracle, as you requested."

George's smile widened maliciously. "Well done, Huntsman!" he boomed, going closer to them. "You're almost a week late, but well done all the same." He stopped in front of Penelope and smiled. "Hello, my dear," he added to her. "You're even more lovely than I've heard."

Penelope just glared at him and blinked.

He stepped forward again to study her. Derek cleared his throat, but he couldn't do anything without being convicted of treason. However, he kept his hand on Penelope's back. George looked at him strangely. "Huntsman, you may remove your hand from _my_ Oracle," he snapped.

"Your Majesty," he coughed, trying to keep his temper under control. No one but him called Penelope their's. "Penelope –"

George's eyes went wide and he let out a bark of laughter. "So it's Penelope for you?" he mocked. "You're in love with this woman – this abnormal being?" He paused to look at Derek's glare that could've killed if looks could do such a thing. "What do you wish, _Huntsman_? Allow you to marry her?"

"With all due respect," he said through gritted teeth. "I would request that as soon as you're finished with whatever it is you need her for that you allow her to go free…with me."

George ignored him to talk to Penelope. "You're in love with this man. I can sense it."

"Yes," Penelope said defiantly in a frigid tone. "I am."

Returning his attention to Derek, he scoffed, "Your request, Huntsman, is denied. She's far too valuable to me to let her go." Snapping his fingers at his guards, he ordered, "Seize her. Take her to the dungeon. I'll have a chat with her when I'm through here."

As the guards advanced, Derek blocked Penelope from them, shielding her with his body. "Lay one finger on her and I'll kill you where you stand," he growled dangerously. He fingered one of the hilts of his knives attached to his belt.

The King laughed. "You're defying my orders?" he asked incredulously. "How's that? You're my lapdog, my best tracker and you think a sorceress who exiled herself to the wilderness can change that? You are gravely mistaken." He jerked his head in Penelope's direction and two guards grabbed her roughly by the arms, holding her between them.

"Let me go!" she hissed, kicking out at them. "Get your hands off me!" She began to fight harder as if her fear from a moment ago had evaporated. She managed to kick one roughly in the groin and he buckled over, cursing the whole way down as he dropped her arm.

"Penelope!" Derek hollered frantically. He'd now drawn a knife and hurled it with flawless aim into the remaining guard holding Penelope captive. As he went to her, several pairs of burly arms grabbed him and his knife was knocked from his grasp. He struggled desperately for the one he had concealed in his boot, but too many men had gathered around him.

"Get away from him!" Penelope screeched as she threw herself on the back of one of the guards. His swift movements caused her to fly backwards. Angrily she tried to grab at them again. "Let him go! Derek!"

Derek was able to grab his other knife and had stabbed one of the guards holding him. "Drop the weapon and surrender or I'll slit her throat!"

As soon as the King had uttered the vicious words, Derek whirled to face him. Penelope having been unarmed the whole time was being restrained by George himself, a silver dagger posed at her throat. She struggled against his grip and hissed, "What are you waiting for then, _Your Majesty_? Do it! I'd rather die than let you use me as your pawn in terrorizing the people of this realm!"

"No!" Derek cried, his knife clattering to the ground. "I do it! I surrender! Don't kill her…I beg it of you!"

George sneered. "I know you do," he said maliciously.

The last things Derek saw before plunging into darkness were Penelope's beautiful, graceful face twisted in grief and shouting and finally a fist clad in a chain mail slamming into his face.

XXXXX

A pounding as bad as an Ogre's beating was the first thing Derek felt when he came to. The next was the clattering of a carriage on a bumpy road. A feeling of dread filled his gut, leaving a pile of rot in its wake.

He was in a cage. A cage taking him to a prison where he would never leave or be able to escape.

"Oh, Penelope," he murmured, bowing his head in grief. He'd failed her and now he would never lay eyes on the woman with flowers in her hair and a fiercely firey spirit he'd fallen so deeply in love with ever again. "I'm so very sorry."

XXXXX

Penelope let out a vicious shriek as the guards forcing her into her cell pulled and tugged at her hair. "You bastards!" she screamed. "Let go of me!" She kicked out again as one of them held on and picked her up to throw her against the wall.

One of them yanked at her dress, tearing it in the process and leaving a patch of flesh to cover. "Give me a kiss and I'll stop," the one restraining her said. His lips crashed on hers, leaving so foul a taste on her tongue she had to force down bile. So to keep from vomiting, she bit hard on his lip, causing him to yowl like an injured cat. A stinging slap hit her jaw and the taste of blood touched her tongue. "That should teach you," he snarled.

She sneered at his bloody lip. "And _that_ should teach _you_."

"Gentlemen, is that anyway to treat a lady?" the King said. He came into the cell, standing over her. "Get up, Oracle."

Rising unsteadily, she stood in front of him, eyeing him suspiciously. "Where's Derek? What have you done with him?"

George tapped her collar. "This must be terribly uncomfortable," he said, clucking his tongue in the process.

"Answer me," she growled.

He tilted her chin up before grabbing it roughly. "Your beloved Huntsman is dead. I killed him just before coming down here."

Penelope felt her heart dissolve in her chest. She was unable to use her powers with the collar on and couldn't see anything in her mind, but the look on George's face told her all she needed to know. A cry escaped her throat and she slid against the wall to the floor.

He laughed. "I thought this might be your reaction." She couldn't respond past her sobbing. "When I need you, I'll return. It could be a little while. You see, when I told your Huntsman that I needed you for something special, I lied. I just wanted you to have when I did need someone of your…skill set. Enjoy rotting in this cell."

"Why did you kill him?" she wept. "You could've let him go!" Her voice turned to a vicious scream. "You didn't have to kill him! You're a monster!"

Her answer was the slamming of a door and a key turning it.

XXXXX

"Snow! Snow!" Red cried, rushing towards her and James. She slowed down, breathing heavily. "There's a prison carriage coming this way! It belongs to the King!

Snow and James sprang into action. "How far off?" James asked, grabbing his sword on the way. "How much time until it reaches us?"

"We've got only a few moments," Red gasped as they shot through the trees.

James nodded. "Then let's stop it," he said. He grabbed Snow's sword and tossed it to her. "Do you have the left flank for me, Snow?"

"Of course," Snow replied, holding the hilt of her sword tightly. "Be safe, Charming," she added, looking at him with love before running to the left and disappearing into the forest.

"You too," he said, giving her the exact same look.

XXXXX

"Snow, James! We've got a single prisoner in here," Grumpy said, pulling a dark-skinned man with his hands bound towards them. "He's putting up quite a fight." The man tried to shake him off, but Grumpy squeezed his shoulder roughly and growled, "Quit fighting me or I'll make you wish you'd never been born."

"Get your hands off of me!" the man shouted.

James held up his sword and pointed it at the man's chest. "Identify yourself," he demanded. "Who are you and why does the King want you imprisoned?"

"Get the sword away from my chest and I may just tell you want you want to know," he growled with a steely glint in his eyes. James looked at the harsh-faced man and studied him a moment. While he did look dangerous, he didn't look malicious, so he nodded once and lowered his blade. The man said, "My name is Derek. I was the King's Huntsman."

"We should kill him!" Grumpy said almost immediately. "I've heard talk of this fellow. He's the King's lapdog. He hunts people down and takes them in."

"Did you not hear me, _Dwarf_?" Derek grunted. "I said I was the King's Huntsman, not that I am anymore."

"What did you do to anger him then?" Snow asked curiously. "You must've done something terrible against him to incur this much wrath." She'd also heard the rumors about the mysterious Huntsman who was supposedly so skilled at tracking that no target had ever escaped him.

Derek's jaw clenched. "I fell in love," he stated simply earning a snort from Grumpy and several other of the dwarves. "I fell in love with the last mission he sent me on. I was ordered to find and retrieve an Oracle. I asked him to let her finish the task he required her for and then allow me to marry her. He refused and I tried to fight off his guards. The next moment I woke up in the carriage on my way to a prison."

"Let me understand this," James said. "You fell in love with the woman you were sent to capture and now you're being thrown in jail because of it?"

"It sounds as if you understand it just fine," he said hardly. "Please, I don't care what you do to me; just get Penelope out of there. He's got her imprisoned. I'm begging you, get her out of there! She's innocent."

"If she's an Oracle, shouldn't she be able to release herself from her imprisonment?" Red asked.

"He's got a collar on her that binds her magic," he said. He looked at the skeptical looks of everyone around him. "Please," he begged. "I got her into this mess. I can't get her out without help."

"Why should we help you?" James asked.

Snow looked at the man in front of them all and the look of pure desperation on his face. It was the look of a man desperately in love and looking for a way to save the one person he care about more than anyone else. It reminded her of what she and Charming had. It was eternal love.

"Because he's in love," she said, earning herself the surprised glances of everyone, including the Huntsman. "Isn't that what we have all fought for at some point?" she asked. "If we desert this man now, he'll never get the same chance to have his happy ending that we've had with our loved ones." She looked specifically at James when she said this. "We have to help him. If we don't, it just makes us hypocrites."

Derek looked at her with gratitude. "Thank you…Snow White," he said.

James smiled. "Then so be it. We'll help you Huntsman. We'll help you get your true love back."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or Once Upon A Time…I just love, love, love them!**

**So here's the last chapter in the Enchanted Forest. I just wanted to give the backstory on how both couples met in the other realm. We'll be back to Storybrooke in the next one :) Another quick FYI: I've started calling James "Charming", because technically that's what everyone else calls him. Going with the flow and all that.**

A month had paused since George had locked Penelope up. The only light she'd seen in those thirty days was the dim glow coming in through the small rectangular hole with bars covering it. Food and water were brought to her once a day, the food consisting of a few crusts of stale bread. Her physical state was rapidly deteriorating and at several points, guards had come in to harass her, pulling at her rumpled hair and worn out dress.

But nothing affected her. Not anymore.

Every night she curled up into a ball to escape the cold. For the first week of her imprisonment, she'd cried all those long hours in the cell, but by now her tear ducts had dried out and she spent every waking hour staring blankly at the unfeeling walls of her prison. There was nothing left for her. Her freedom had been stripped from her, her power was bound, and the one man who'd taken away her loneliness and made her feel love was gone, killed for the sole reason of loving her.

She shifted slightly to lay on her side and closed her eyes, praying that with sleep she might be fortunate and dream of her Huntsman.

XXXXX

Derek dropped down to sit under a tree, taking a drink from his jug. He was anxious to find out when he and the Rebels would be rescuing Penelope. But after a month they were still in the woods, hiding away from the King and only attacking when stealth was on their side. He was restless, desperate to free Penelope from the prison he'd been responsible for putting her in. The guilt for what he'd done was driving a slick knife between his ribs. He'd sworn to Penelope he wouldn't let her be locked away. The promise he'd made had failed.

As for his family, they were safe for now. He'd brought them to the camp to be sure they were for sure out of harm from the King. It had been a smart decision; the King's men had gone and burned the house until it was nothing more than a pile of ash.

"Do you wish for some company?"

Derek opened his eyes to see Snow White standing above him. He shrugged nonchalantly. "You're in charge. You can do whatever pleases you," he grunted.

She smiled sweetly at him, leaning against the tree. Snow felt extremely sorrowful for this Huntsman. Beneath his rough and rugged exterior he posed most of the time, she could see he was suffering from the loss of his Oracle. It was rare for him to speak; the only occasions he opened his mouth were when he was helping strategize and planning attacks in the woods. Not once had she seen him smile. He was a slight bit more than difficult to figure out.

After a few moments' silence, she said, "When we first found you in that carriage on its way to the prison, you said my name without me introducing myself. May I ask how you knew it was me?"

He looked at her with a sarcastic expression on his face. "You're Snow White, the famed beauty of all the land. The most beautiful. Skin white as snow, hair black as night, lips red as a rose…it wasn't hard to figure out. That and you are the only woman George has spoken of with pure rage on his countenance. You and your Charming really have ruined some of his plans."

She smirked at him. "The most beautiful, huh? Is that what they call me?"

He smirked right back. "Well, I suppose to some," he said. Shaking his head, he added, "Not to say you're not beautiful, but there is one who I can say is more."

"Your Penelope," she concluded for him with a smile.

He nodded. "Yes," he said. "My Penelope." And for the first time, Snow White saw Derek the Huntsman crack a smile. "The first time I saw her she had a queer little smile on her face and little white flowers entwined in her honey blonde hair. I'd never seen anything so wonderfully beautiful in my entire life."

There was another uncomfortable silence between them before Snow asked him bluntly, "You don't trust many people, do you?"

He laughed sarcastically. "Are you only _now_ coming to this conclusion?" he asked. She fixed him with a look and he sighed. "No. I don't trust many people. In fact, I can't trust anyone." He paused. "No offense."

"None taken," Snow responded casually. "You know, I was like you once. After my stepmother's personal Huntsman was ordered to kill me, but let me go instead, I went into the woods and didn't come out for a very long time. I went around, taking gold from the Queen's carriages. Finally one day I stole from someone not the Queen: Charming. He's what brought me back to reality, to living for someone. Just as your Oracle Penelope brought you back it sounds like."

He was silent for another long moment before murmuring, "Yes. She did bring me back. After my father died, I just – I lost my way. She drew me back to loving people." He looked up at the girl whose famed beauty had made her known throughout every kingdom. "Is that – my feelings for Penelope – really why you decided to convince your Prince to aid me in rescuing her? True love?"

She nodded. "Of course," she said. "It's so rare to come by." Her face took on a much more serious disposition. "The Queen had it too once. A long time ago."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Your stepmother? Regina, evil sorceress who has long terrorized this realm, had true love at one time."

Snow nodded. "She wasn't always like this, you know," she explained, as if there was some pity in her voice for her stepmother. Only a shred of pity, but still it was there, a faint noise in her voice. "Daniel was his name. And her mother killed him so she could marry my father. He was their stable boy. It was my fault Cora found out, too. I was a young child, tricked into telling her because I thought she wanted her daughter to be happy. She didn't, clearly.' She shrugged. "Ever since, she's been – well, she's been the way she is."

"A heart set on revenge," Derek finished.

"Precisely," Snow agreed.

Derek contemplated the knowledge he'd just gained. If the Evil Queen could find that happiness and then turn into what she was now because she'd lost the most precious person in the world to her, what would happen to him if he lost Penelope for good?

"We will get her back for you, Huntsman," she said. "Have faith. Good will always win."

He nodded, but his eyes were blank; they would be until Penelope was safe in his arms again. Derek and Snow White sat in silence. It was broken only when the Prince came towards them. "Huntsman," he said with a smile, offering his hand to Snow which she took to hoist herself up from the ground. Derek, too, rose and bowed his head to respect Charming. He may not have trusted him entirely, but he was in charge of helping him find Penelope. The least he could do was give him some respect. "Let's go." He began to walk back towards the main camp.

"Go where?" he asked, striding after Snow and Charming.

Charming turned and smiled broadly at him. "We're storming the castle."

XXXXX

"We've got some fairies sprinkling fairy dust on the guards at the gates," Charming reported from their hiding place in the woods. The castle was lit up with some form of celebration that was clearly taking place. "The dust will turn them into bugs so we can get past them without them raising the alarm; it will work. Snow and I've tested it before on some trolls. It's highly effective. With the ball going on, we should have enough time to make it in and out with Penelope in tow. Just remain cautious. We're going for stealth, not to take the castle. We're far too outnumbered for that right now. That means – I'm talking specifically at you, Grumpy – no engaging in a fight unless you have no choice." He shook his head. "Better yet, you go with Snow to the dungeons. You've been there before." This just made the dwarf grunt. He turned to Derek next. "Huntsman, you said there is a collar around your Oracle's neck…would you be able to identify the key to it for me?"

"Yes," Derek responded gruffly.

Charming nodded. "Good. Then I need you with me," he decided. "I can navigate us around, but I need your help to get the key." He noticed the initial look of protest on Derek's face, so he added, "Snow will find her; don't worry."

Reluctantly, Derek nodded, but kept his tongue shut up in his mouth. He was clutching his bow tightly, his fingers stressing against the varnished wood, pushing splinters into his palms. "I'm ready the moment you are," he finally said.

"Good," Charming said. "Let's move then."

XXXXX

All of the guards had turned to cockroaches by the time the rescue party was at the gates. The fairies had opened the gate enough that the Dwarves were able to squeeze through and open it for the rest of them.

"We haven't got long before someone notices and starts to look around for the source," Red said, hurrying along next to Snow. "Now would be a good time to split up."

Charming nodded in agreement. "Snow, Dwarves, go fetch Penelope; we'll go find the key."

Snow nodded and she and the Dwarves jogged off in the direction of the winding stairs that would take them underground to the dungeons. They raced down the narrow spiral stairs, the light of the torches guiding them. When they reached the end of the stairs, they came across two members of the Royal Guard.

"Hello boys," Grumpy said with a wide smile covering his face.

They sprang towards Snow and the Dwarves and Snow elbowed them in the guts. One of them buckled over with a groan. Snow grabbed his head and jerked her knee up to slam it into his cranium, knocking him out cold. Doc had grabbed the other guard to hold him still, while Grumpy used the butt of his axe to cause him to black out.

"Keys!" Sneezy said, lifting the ring off of one of the fallen guards.

"Let's go!" Snow said, already ahead of the rest of the group. Though she'd been in this dungeon before, it hadn't been any longer than a day. She couldn't imagine being there for a month. As they all peeked through the doors, looking for a woman fitting the description Derek had given them.

"I found her!" Happy called out.

Snow stopped her frantic search and met the Dwarves in front of a different cell. She peeked in to find a woman curled up in the corner of the cell, her head hidden by her knees. "Sneezy, the keys," she said swiftly, wanting to free this woman immediately. The key turned creakily in the lock and when the door opened with a groan, the woman looked up. Her eyes had a dead appearance and she simply stared at Snow. Her month of imprisonment had caused her skin that was clearly fair to be covered in a layer of grime. The navy blue dress that had once been whole was torn all over, parts of it in tatters.

"Snow White," she murmured. "I've seen you before. When my powers weren't bound up tightly for the King's personal use." She tilted her expressionless face. "You're indeed the fairest of them all."

Snow knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. Her skin was freezing to the touch. "We're here to free you," she murmured, pushing some of her blonde hair from her face. The Huntsman hadn't lied; underneath the dust and sadness covering her face, this woman was extremely beautiful. "Are you too weak to move? We can help if –"

Penelope shook her head. "No," she said sorrowfully. "There's no point. I've got nothing left to live for. The king – he killed the man I love. He killed him because he wanted to take me away from here and marry me. It's all my fault. I deserve this cell!"

"No, no!" Snow cried, smiling. "He's alive! Derek, your Huntsman, he lives. Whatever the king told you was a lie. Derek's with Prince James, looking for the key to unbind your powers."

Tears filled Penelope's eyes for the first time in the weeks since George had told her Derek was dead. A moan of despair escaped her lips. "Please don't lie to me! My heart can't take it!" she cried. "Just leave me here."

Snow grasped her chin and forced Penelope to look at her. "Penelope, Derek _is_ alive. And he loves you so, so much! So come with us. Because he can't live without you." She looked at Penelope's disbelieving, tear – stricken face and said, "You have to trust me, Penelope."

Penelope looked into the princess' eyes that she'd seen a few times in her visions. She showed no signs of lying or cruel deceit. To be sure, she whispered softly, "Are you lying simply to get me to leave with you?"

Snow shook her head, rising to her feet and offering her a hand. "I give you my word that Derek is alive."

She stared at her another moment before grasping her hand back and rising from the ground. "Take me to him," she murmured. "Please."

XXXXX

Charming was highly impressed with Derek as a strategist, but seeing him in an actual fight was something else entirely. He was one of the most skilled bowsmen he'd ever encountered. His skills with a knife were almost equally unmatched. The few guards they'd come across hadn't stood a chance against the two of them. Red had hung back to warn them if any others followed, leaving Charming and Derek to go to George's chambers alone.

"The king's chambers are this way," Charming said, pointing his sword down a corridor. "We've got to be quick."

"Understood," Derek grunted as they entered the door Charming opened. The room was quiet, the only noise the crackling fire in the fireplace. "His desk," he said, rushing across the room. Atop the desk were many different objects, but the one that held Derek's interest was a ring of keys. It was enormous, holding about fifty keys total.

Charming whistled. "Whoa. You'll be able to –" He halted when Derek held up a specific key. "Never mind."

"I would never forget what this looks like," he said, taking the key off the ring.

The door burst open and two guards carrying Red between them and King George burst in. An enraged look covered his face. "Ah, James," he said. "I should have known _you_ were behind the disappearance of my prison carriage with the Huntsman in it." Turning his attention to Derek, he added, "And you, Huntsman. You're foolish enough to return to this place after what happened here? After I locked your little Oracle away in my dungeon, I thought I'd never see you again."

Derek's jaw hardened and he spat, "You thought wrong. If you've hurt her in any way, I'll kill you!"

"Oh, you won't be killing anyone," George hissed, stepping closer to him. "Because I'm going to kill you. You'll never see your little Oracle again."

"I wouldn't count on that," a small voice said.

Derek felt his heart soar when his eyes found the woman who'd spoken.

George whirled around to find Snow White supporting a rather unsteady Penelope. Since she'd been starved for most of the month, standing on her own was difficult. She glared at the King. "Well, well, look who broke out," he sniggered. "It's good to see you again, Oracle," he said. "How's life been in my dungeon?"

"Just fine," she snapped. "You're a liar! You told me you killed him!"

"Yes, well it wouldn't be the first one I told," he said as if he were commenting on the weather.

Charming glared at the king. "You'll pay for what you've done, George," he said. "And there are only three of you. We outnumber you greatly." As soon as the words left his mouth, the Dwarves grabbed the guards holding Red, knocking them to the ground. George seemed to realize the gravity of his situation and backed away slowly from everyone. Derek took the opportunity to rush to Penelope's side with the key in his palm. Briefly their eyes met and he said, "I'm going to get you out of this." His hands went straight to the collar and he inserted it in the lock.

The moment the collar was removed from her neck, a blinding white light shot through the room. Their eyes all opened and instead of the sickly looking woman they'd seen a moment ago, a completely healthy one stood in her place. Penelope looked the exact way she had when Derek had first met her in the mountains. When her eyes opened again, they were milky white and she tilted her head in the direction of the king who now looked thoroughly unhinged.

"Scared yet?" she asked viciously. She outstretched her hands and the king shot back towards the wall. His face started to turn purple and his hands grasped at his throat. Somehow she was telekinetically strangling him.

"Snow!" Happy shouted. "More guards. They're on the way."

Red nodded in agreement. "I can smell them. A lot of them," she said. "And it's getting stronger. We have to leave. Now!"

Upon hearing it, Derek went to Penelope's side and touched her shoulder. "Penelope," he murmured. "We have to go."

Not changing her stance, Penelope kept her eyes on George. "He's not dead yet," she hissed. "He has to die!"

"Another day, Penelope," Derek said, pulling her now. He grasped her gently and at first she resisted. "Let's go." Gradually he got her to come away with him. "His time will come," he murmured in her ear as George's body fell to the floor unconscious. "But for now we have to go."

XXXXX

Penelope had gotten them all out of the castle with her powers and they made their way back to the main camp under the light of the moon. Charming walked alongside Derek and said, "You know Huntsman, you and Penelope would be wonderful additions to our fight to take the kingdom." Derek's arm stayed firmly on Penelope's waist as he heard Charming's proposal. He saw Penelope's face of caution and Derek's defensive stance and he shook his head. "Oh no," he said with a shake of his head. "I'm just making an offer. I completely understand if you wish to leave. Just let me know." He nodded and ran off to join Snow ahead of everyone.

Stopping for a moment, Derek looked at Penelope and stroked her cheek. "I thought I'd never see you again," he murmured. "It was the scariest thing."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him close. "He told me he'd killed you," she whispered. "I didn't move for a month while I was down in that dungeon. It was like looking at myself, but not being there at all. I couldn't breathe." She leaned her head against him and added, "I can't be without you, Huntsman. I love you."

"We'll never be apart," he whispered in her ear, kissing the side of her face. "We can leave at dawn. I know a small valley where we can live, just the two of us. No one will ever find us. It will be just us."

She lifted her hand to his face and held his cheek. "One day we will be together in that valley," she told him. "We will have our life together. But right now, we have to fight this battle with Snow White and Prince James. If we help them take back the kingdom, we can have that valley and live in peace and safety. So we have to help them. Then we'll have our valley." And then she pulled his face down for a kiss. Their lips met and fire exploded through their bodies.

When Penelope broke the kiss, Derek rested his forehead on hers and he murmured, "I love you so much Penelope. I always will. No matter what land, no matter what realm, I will always love you."

"And I you," she whispered back.

XXXXX

"They look so happy," Snow said to Charming with a smile. They had glanced back to see Penelope and Derek wrapped in each other's arms. "Kind of like us." She grinned widely at him. "Think they'll decide to stay or do you think they'll go off on their own?"

Charming looked at the two and said, "Whatever they plan on doing, the most important thing is that true love won the day. It's what creates the happy endings."

Snow smiled and kissed him softly. "Good will always win," she murmured. "No matter what, good will always win."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Here's the 7****th**** chapter of this little saga. Hope you enjoy :)**

**Quick note: For those of you not familiar with Once Upon A Time, I haven't mentioned Mr. Gold yet in either world. In the Enchanted Forest, he's Rumplestiltsken. More will come with him later though.**

"So who was the little boy sitting with you and the sheriff before that woman –the Mayor, I mean – dragged him out of here?" Penelope asked Mary-Margaret. Her expression was puzzled as she took another sip of her steaming coffee.

Mary-Margaret sighed. "That's Henry," she said warmly with a fond expression on her face. "He's one of my students…I'm a teacher at the elementary school. He's got a very active imagination and with you and your husband being visitors he just got excited." She waved her hand flippantly and found herself smiling; Penelope had an infectious grin that she felt catching on.

"Oh, it's not a problem!" Penelope said, shaking her head. "What's he imagining up, if you don't mind me asking?"

Blushing, Mary-Margaret explained about Henry's fascination with the book of fairy-tales she'd given him to help sooth his loneliness. "One of the stories in it was about a hunter falling in love with an Oracle and how they help Snow White and Prince Charming take back the Kingdom from the Evil Queen. See, he thinks I'm Snow White and that you and your husband are this Hunter and Oracle." She was worried her babbling about Henry's imagination would send Penelope dashing for her car, but she simply seemed interested and curious.

"Let me guess: his mother is the Evil Queen?" Penelope guessed, peering over her blue and electric green glasses to examine Mary-Margaret's face.

Gasping with exaggerated shock, Mary-Margaret asked, "Whatever gave that away?" Penelope giggled and she added, "Regina's a piece of work. She's actually not Henry's birth mother; Emma is. She gave him up for adoption a long time ago and he went to find her. She's been here ever since."

Penelope smiled sadly. "That's too bad," she said. Her gaze flicked behind Mary-Margaret for a moment and she tilted her head. When she looked back at her, she added, "So why isn't he with you?" Her voice was almost inaudible as she tried to be quiet enough so no one could hear her. "He's spending more time sneaking glances at you than paying attention to his wife. And the way he looks at you? That's the look of a man in love."

Mary-Margaret didn't dare look back at him for fear she would blush. Instead, she sipped her cocoa. "David was in a coma for a long time before he – well, he woke up and I sort of revived him. He didn't remember who he was for a long time and he still doesn't completely remember things." She paused. "He told me I was…the only thing that felt right. I guess, he's sort of the only thing that feels right for me too."

"Oh," Penelope said. "I'm so sorry. I hope things work out okay for you."

She picked up her mug and sipped again. "Yeah, I hope it does too," she murmured.

XXXXX

"Hey Hotch," Derek said. "It's my honeymoon, so I'm kind of hoping this is good." He didn't even care if he sounded peeved. Hotch had promised not to bother them.

Hotch chuckled on the other end of the line. "Sorry to interrupt Morgan," he apologized. "I meant to not call at all, but there's an urgent case that I need a quick consult on. It won't take long, I promise."

"Just like you promised not to call?" Derek muttered under his breath, not knowing that Hotch had heard him on the other end of the line. "What's the case?" He listened carefully as his boss explained the case and unsub to him. As he listened though, he noticed a man with a fancy, expensive looking cane observing him from a short distance away on the sidewalk. There was something eerily familiar about him and he swore the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. It made him nervous, the stare that he was receiving. The man looked at him like he'd seen him before.

"So what do you think?" Hotch's voice broke through.

"It sounds like he's showing classic signs of being a sociopath," Derek said absentmindedly, still feeling nervous. "And that he knows the victims. I can't be sure without seeing the crime scene photos, but if the damage and mutilation to the bodies as you say it is, then he knew them."

"Alright," Hotch said slowly. "We'll take it into consideration. I think you're right about the sociopathic personality." Sighing, he added, "Well then, I hope the rest of your honeymoon is good. Where are you guys now?"

"A little town called Storybrooke," Derek said. "Penelope's already making buddies."

Hotch laughed. "That's not so surprising. She's always had a knack for that. Well, tell her 'hi' for me and we'll see you soon."

"You got it, boss," he said, hanging up the phone and sticking it back in his pocket. As he looked up, the middle-aged man had approached him and stopped in front of him, smiling a thin smile. Derek now felt a shiver go up his spine. Who was this man and why the sudden interest in him?

Leaning on his cane, the man stuck out his hand and said, "Hello there. I'm Mr. Gold. Welcome to town."

Derek gulped. There was something eerily uncomfortable about this Mr. Gold to him that he couldn't quite put his finger on. "Er, hi," he said, shifting his weight. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Gold shook his head. "No, nothing at all," he said. "I'm just welcoming you to our little corner of the country. What brings you to Storybrooke, if you don't mind me asking?"

Hesitantly Derek chose to answer. "I'm on my honeymoon with my wife," he said, nodding his head in the direction of the window where Penelope was chatting with the dark-haired woman they'd seen earlier.

"Ah…"

The look on Gold's face puzzled Derek; he really did look like he knew Penelope and him. It was of great interest to him. And he wanted to find out one way or the other. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he said, "Well, I'd better be going. Thanks for the welcome."

"Sure thing," Gold said. "Enjoy your stay in Storybrooke." With a nod of his head, he started to limp off down the street, leaving Derek staring after him. Shaking his head, he went back into the diner where Penelope was laughing with the woman.

Penelope looked up at him and grinned brilliantly. "Hot Stuff! This is Mary-Margaret…we've been chatting!"

Derek extended his hand and shook Mary-Margaret's hand. "It's nice to meet you," he said tentatively.

Mary-Margaret smiled shyly. "It's nice to meet you too," she said.

Glancing at his watch, Derek said, "Well, look at the time. We were going to go spend some time in the woods before the day ended." Nodding his head to Mary-Margaret, he held out his hand for Penelope to take and they started for the door.

"Bye!" Penelope said, following her husband out the door. She waved at Mary-Margaret. "Can we talk more later? I'd like to hang out sometime." Mary-Margaret's nod made her smile giddily and she added, "Cool! I'll catch you later!"

XXXXX

After the Morgans had left the diner, Mary-Margaret decided it was time to leave. She didn't want to spend any more time there. Not when Catherine and David were sitting together, chatting happily. Leaving money on the table for Ruby to collect, she slid her jacket on and started for the door. At first she stopped, wondering whether or not it would be safe to look back and take in the sight of David, but decided against it. It would only hurt too much.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Gosh, this one is so much fun to write :) I really do love it! Hope you guys do too…**

Derek sat bolt up in bed, a layer of sweat covering his brow. His breathing was erratic and he threw the sheets off his legs to swing them over the side of the bed and put his head in his hands. It was two in the morning and he'd had terrible nightmares for the entire night. But they weren't like they usually were, about unsubs and dead children and bombs.

They were about Penelope and several of the people they'd met in town earlier in the day. The woman, Mary-Margaret Blanchard had been there, her hair longer and wearing Robin Hood-esque clothing. The Mayor, Regina had also been there, her hair also longer and she was dressed in flowing black robes. Mary-Margaret had been with Penelope, both of them locked in battle with Regina. Before Derek could reach her though, Penelope had been engulfed in a cloud of black and purple smoke. Shouts of agony then escaped his throat before he snapped awake.

"Derek?" He turned to look at his droopy-eyed wife, her sleep-glazed eyes clearly visible in the moonlight streaming through their bedroom window. She sat up and stretched before putting her arms around his neck from behind. Placing a gentle kiss on his back between his shoulder blades, she whispered, "Nightmares?"

He nodded raggedly. "Yeah," he croaked.

Running her fingers on his head, she murmured, "You wanna talk about it?"

Shaking his head, he kissed her forehead softly and replied, "Go back to sleep, Baby. I'm just going to go get some air and I'll be right back." He slid off the bed and put on a pair of jeans. When he turned around, Penelope was still looking at him with concern. He went forward nad took her cheeks in his hands before kissing her tenderly on the lips. "I'll be fine."

"I love you," she whispered as he headed for the door. Putting her head back down on her pillow she allowed herself to fall back into sleep.

XXXXX

Derek breathed in the cool night air outside the inn he and Penelope were staying in. It felt much better. The nightmares he'd just experienced had felt familiar in some way. Like he'd actually seen in before.

Like it was a memory…not just a dream.

Shaking his head at the idiocy of his most recent thought, he stopped staring at the whispering pines of the woods. He started back for the door of the inn. As his fingers were reaching for the door knob though, a blunt object hit him in the back of the skull. For a moment he fought to sty alert, but lost the battle and tumbled into blackness.

XXXXX

David Nolan was out at two in the morning taking a walk. A stroll at this hour of the night wasn't something most people did, but lately he'd been doing it from lack of ability to sleep. He felt like a stranger in his own body ever since he woke up from his coma. The only thing that really made sense in his life was Mary-Margaret. Not Catherine, his wife. The woman who had revived him, who had saved him from his coma.

_Mary-Margaret._

Everything with her felt right, complete. She'd saved him, but he felt like he'd known her from somewhere else. Like he'd known her from another life. But since he was married and Mary-Margaret couldn't bear to hurt anyone to hurt anyone, there was little he could do but walk.

As he came upon the old toll bridge, he put his elbows on the railing and stared at the gurgling, bubbling stream beneath him. The light of the moon was reflecting off the black water and he sighed, rubbing his face. He wasn't physically exhausted, just mentally drained. His life had taken an interesting turn and most of that life he didn't remember.

Pulling away from the rail, he was ready to turn around and keep walking, but before his body had rotated, a vicious knock to the head dropped him to the ground and into unconsciousness.

XXXXX

The morning sunlight was drifting in Penelope and Derek's room, warming her bare skin. Her eyelids began to flutter open and she yawned, sitting up and looking at the once tidy room that was now in disorder. She pursed her lips in a smirk and giggled.

Around noon she and Derek had managed to make it to the woods surrounding Storybrooke and hike through the beautiful greenery. It being summer, the weather was pleasant and comfortable. When they came upon a small grove of rocks with a trickling waterfall, Derek had suggested they both go skinny-dipping and they ended up in the water. The cool water was perfect for the two of them to start making love while in it.

After their swim they ended up in a bed of pine needles in the shade with sunlight flickering down occasionally.

They made love until their clothing dried and the sun was beginning to set, casting pin and purple streaks across the sky.

When they got back to the inn at dusk, they proceeded to go at it on almost every surface in their room.

"Hot Stuff?" she called, getting out of bed and wrapping a sheet around her naked body. "You in the bathroom?" She padded across the room towards the small bathroom. There was no response and she opened the door, no Derek. She frowned. For a moment she thought about calling him, but his phone was on the bedside table, dashing her hopes of the phone.

After she'd put on her clothes, she grabbed her room key before hurrying out the inn entirely, wondering where the hell her husband had gotten off to.

And there were two people she thought might help her.

XXXXX

"Sheriff Swan! Mary-Margaret!"

Both Mary-Margaret and Emma turned around as they walked towards Granny's where they were going for lunch when they heard the sound of their names. Rushing towards them was Penelope Morgan, a frantic look covering her pretty features. She halted in front of them and Mary-Margaret put a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"Careful there," she said calmly, but still curious has to what had rattled Penelope.

Taking a gulp of air, Penelope said with worry lacing her voice. "It's Derek…he's missing!"

Emma and Mary-Margaret exchanged a glance. This wouldn't be the first time someone disappeared in Storybrooke. The fact it was a stranger made it even worse. Immediately Mary-Margaret could tell Emma was concocting a plan regarding Derek Morgan. Putting a hand on Penelope's shoulder, she said, "Okay, I need you to calm down. What we're going to do is go to the station and try to retrace everything that happened last night." She fixed her with a serious look. "Can you handle that right now?"

Penelope nodded fiercely with a determined look on her face. "Let's go then."

XXXXX

Mary-Margaret made sure to keep a close eye on Penelope. The bubbly friendly woman from the diner was gone, replaced by someone more serious. And the other part, the part that was most interesting to both Mary-Margaret and Emma were the jobs the Morgan held.

"You're both Federal agents?" Emma asked with wide eyes.

Penelope nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Well, Derek actually goes into the field and carries a gun. I'm the team's technical analyst. We're stationed in Quantico."

"Hmm," Emma said. "Alright. I need you to recount everything that happened last night for me."

A fierce blush crept up Penelope's cheeks. "Heh, well we – we spent some time in the woods until sundown. Then we spent the rest of the night at the inn in our room." It was fairly clear she was uncomfortable with something.

Emma, being observant and good at her job, noticed. "Is there something you're hesitant to tell us? Did something happen yesterday?"

The blush turned more scarlet on Penelope's cheeks. Stammering, she mumbled, "We may or may not have been…fornicating the whole afternoon."

Both Mary-Margaret's and Emma's mouths formed small "o's" and she rolled her eyes. "Come on, don't judge. We're newlyweds."

"I think we're more jealous of you than judging you," Emma said snarkily with a smile.

Clearing her throat, Mary-Margaret said, "So afterwards what did you do?"

"Nothing," she stated plainly. "We went to sleep around ten thirty. He woke up around two. I woke back up in the morning and he was gone." Tears filled her eyes. "I can't think of what could've happened to him. To think there are unsubs in this little town!"

Mary-Margaret cocked an eyebrow. "Er, what's an unsub?" she asked, raising one finger up.

"Oh, sorry!" Penelope said. "It's what my team calls perps…it means unknown subject."

Before anyone else spoke, a very frantic Catherine Nolan came hurrying into the station.

Mary-Margaret's body language instantly changed demeanor. Her muscles tensed and she averted her gaze. Penelope noticed and again her heart went out to the other woman. Emma rose from her seat.

"Catherine?" she asked with concern. "What's wrong?"

Tearfully Catherine answered, "It's David…he's missing!"

Immediately Mary-Margaret felt her gut drop. She exchanged a loo with both Penelope and Emma. Both Derek Morgan and David were missing. What was going on that a visitor and a town person would go missing at the same time? There were so many question attached to the original one.

"Two men missing in less that twelve hours is not a coincidence," Emma muttered as she grabbed her red leather jacket

"Where have they gone though?" Penelope asked, biting her lip in worry.

"Nowhere good," Mary-Margaret replied bitterly.

XXXXX

David woke up with a pounding in the back of his head. Blinking several times, he glanced around the dank cellar room where he was tied up in rope on a simple chair.

"Son of a bitch!"

Surprised, he saw another person was also tied up. It was the dark-skinned stranger from outside of Storybrooke.

What could someone possibly want with a man from out of town and David?

"Hey," he called to the stranger. "Who are you?"

The man tied in the chair opposite David was busy trying to kick his way out of the chair. Gritting his teeth, he stopped struggling to study David. "Derek Morgan," he said. "And yours?"

"David Nolan," he introduced himself. Looking around more, he added, "Why do you think we're in here? Why us?"

Shaking his head, Derek said, "Hell if I know." Stomping his foot against the ground in frustration, he lout out a growl. "God, I hope Penelope's okay."

In his own mind, David found himself thinking of a woman as well. But not the woman he was married to.

_Mary-Margaret…_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Here's chapter nine of this little saga! I'm enjoying writing this, but I usually work on my strictly CM ones and now my CM/SVU one…PLEASE REVIEW! And enjoy too :)**

As the women started for the door, Catherine rubbed her temples and sniffled. Mary-Margaret looked at her with sympathy. She knew how the other woman was feeling. This was a scary feeling for her too. And by the looks of it, Penelope was feeling it ten times more. It was easy to see her husband was her best friend. Ad though she was serious, it was clear to see she was quivering with the desire to hold in her tears.

"I'm going to go home if that's okay," Catherine murmured. "I'm sorry. Can you question me later?"

Emma nodded. "Of course," she said. "It's unlikely the disappearances unconnected. We'll let you know if anything changes."

Catherine nodded gratefully and wordlessly went out the door. On her way out, Henry came bursting in, breathing heavily and his backpack bouncing on his back.

"Emma! Mary-Margaret! Penelope!" he cried.

"Henry, what's going on?" Emma asked, her concern for her son written across her face. "What happened?"

Still breathing heavily, he gasped, "I heard David and Derek went missing!"

"How'd you hear about it?" Penelope asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I heard my mom talking on the phone," he explained simply.

Emma's face formed an angry line and her brow furrowed. "Who was she on the phone with?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I don't know who," he said, "but she mentioned 'the stranger,' as she called him, and David. She must've done something to them! Don't you see?"

Biting her lip skeptically, Penelope listened along with Mary-Margaret as Emma sighed. "Henry, why would she do that? What would she gain from kidnapping them?"

"Because she's trying to keep the Huntsman and the Oracle and Prince Charming and Snow White apart!" he cried like it should've been the most obvious thing in the world. All three women blinked at him and he huffed, slapping his backpack down, unzipping it and taking out his book of fairy tales. Opening it, he flipped to the story he was looking for. "This is it," he said, pointing to a battle scene. Penelope's eyes grew wide at the picture. The people in it looked remarkably familiar; it was _them_: Mary-Margaret, the man David Nolan, Derek, and her. "When Penelope – you – and Derek – your husband join Prince Charming and Snow White's fight to take back the kingdom their army grew larger. This was the beginning of the Evil Queen's end. So she tried to kill Penelope and Snow white at the same time. _You_ almost died. But Snow White and _your_ true loves saved you! After that you helped the Blue Fairy bind the Queen's power. That how you won the kingdom."

They still were staring at him and he said, his voice louder, "Don't you see? Keeping true loves apart like these four can stop Good. Taking Derek and David can do that!"

Penelope's eyes were wide. The boy really did believe they were all characters in his book. "Henry," she said hesitantly. "Derek and I aren't fairy tale characters. We don't even live in the same state. Wouldn't we be here with all you if we were?"

"I can't figure it out, why you're not living here," he admitted grudgingly. "My only idea is you were sent somewhere else."

"Henry!"

The roll of Emma's eyes was unmistakable as Regina came strutting up to them. Henry's gulp was equally visible. "What can we do for you Madame Mayor? You look like you need something," she said dryly.

Regina regarded her coolly. "No Miss Swan, there's nothing I want from you. I just came to fetch my son, seeing as he can't seem to stay away from you." She flicked her gaze to Penelope next. "Ah, Mrs. Morgan right?"

Looking at the mayor warily, she nodded. "That's right," she said.

"I heard your husband's gone missing," Regina said with a blatantly smug tone. "That's tragic. I'm very sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, and David Nolan's missing too," Emma said suspiciously. "Know anything about that?"

"Why, no," Regina said innocently. "What could I possibly know about two missing men?" She glanced at her watch and clucked her tongue. "Well, we're going to be late for your therapy appointment, Henry. We need to go…now."

"Can I just –"

She grabbed his wrist and said, "No!"

She nodded to the three hesitant women before taking pouting Henry to her shiny black Mercedes and driving away.

"What a bitch!" Penelope said angrily. "There are two men missing in her town and she doesn't seem to care at all! And the way she treated Henry –"

Mary-Margaret put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "We need to focus on finding David and Derek," she said. "Regina may be terrible, but I doubt she had anything to do with this."

Penelope huffed. "Okay then, but we need to find them," she said in frustration.

"And we will," Emma said. "We've got to check out the inn."

Penelope nodded stiffly. "Let's get going then."

XXXXX

By the time they reached the inn, Penelope was wringing her hands together anxiously. She was very tempted to call Hotch, but this was nowhere near a Federal case and the team was already away on another case. She was going to have to do this with Mary-Margaret and Emma.

"We were the only ones staying here last night," Penelope informed them. "I don't know where he could've gone." Now the tears she'd been holding back were welling up in her eyes and she added, "Do things happen to people around here? Like, murder type things?"

Emma and Mary-Margaret's exchanged glance that told her everything she needed to know.

With shaking hands, she rubbed her temples and said, "Let's just find something to go off of."

The three of them searched for some time for anything: blood, foot prints. There was nothing to find. As they were still looking and Emma proceeded to ask Penelope questions, Emma's cell phone rang and she answered it. Her face went pale in a second and she said, "Yes! Of course…I'll be there in five minutes!" Putting her phone back in her pocket, she sputtered, "I – I have to go. Something happened to Henry and –" She stopped to take a deep breath. "He's hurt and I need to go to him."

Penelope's eyes went wide. "Do you want us to go with you?" she asked with concern.

Emma shook her head. "No, no," she said. "I want you to go on with the search. Hopefully nothing is –" She paused before saying, "No, no. Just keep going on looking you two. We need to find the boys, but you need to go on your own for now. I'll let you know when I can see you again." And then she was taking off, jumping into the Sheriff's car and speeding off.

"I hope he's okay," Penelope said, biting her lip.

Mary-Margaret nodded. She, too, hoped Henry would be okay. "Come on," she said, taking Penelope's arm. "Let's keep looking. Something's gotta be around here somewhere."

As they continued around to the back of the inn, Penelope asked, "So what happened between you and David? If you don't mind me asking that is." She paused. "I feel like I do know you…from somewhere."

Mary-Margaret sighed. "I – I – well, _we – _Emma and I and the former sheriff – saved him. He had woken up from a coma after I'd been reading to him at the hospital and left, running into the woods. And well, I resuscitated him. I can't remember being in love with anyone before him. And I know it's terrible. I know it's wrong. I just don't know how to stop the feelings. Henry tells me that he's Prince Charming and I'm Snow White and I know that's ridiculous. But there's a connection there. I don't know how, but there's something."

Penelope looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Mary-Margaret," she said. "I really am. I like to think that everything happens for a reason. It will work out for you. A connection like the one you're describing…that's true love. He woke up after you read to him. The sound of your voice alone made him come back. Something's going to happen for you two." She took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Now let's go find them."

She nodded. "Yeah," she said and the two of them kept on circling the inn.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Penelope was in tears by the time they stopped in the middle of the woods to sit on a fallen log. The two of them had found foot tracks leading out and made the decision to follow them. Mary-Margaret had tried to call Emma to check on Henry's condition and how he was, but she'd not answered.

"Urgh, I can't believe I'm chasing after my missing husband through the woods!" she cried, rubbing her temples. "This was so not how I imagined spending my honeymoon!"

Mary-Margaret put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "We're going to find him," she said firmly. "And we're gonna find David too and things will turn out fine. Don't worry."

"How can I not worry?" she said, wiping her tears from her face. "This just can't be happening! I always worry that I'm going to lose him on a case and I lost him on our _honeymoon_ of all things!"

"Slow down, slow down," she said calmly. "You can't think like that and I highly doubt he's dead. Everything will be okay."

"I just –"

But before Penelope could finish speaking, a strange flash of light swept through the woods directly over them. The wind suddenly picked up and blew their hair back from their faces. Both women scrunched together as if attempting to get away from it. Almost as quickly as it appeared though, the light vanished and the forest was still again, just a slight rustle of wind as the only evidence there had even been an occurrence. Both of them blinked several times at the space in front of them and then turned to blink at one another.

"_Snow_?"

"_Penelope_?"

With gasps of delight, both Penelope and Mary-Margaret – the Oracle and Snow White – threw their arms around one another.

XXXXX

"So…how long have you lived in Storybrooke?" Derek asked David, trying to make conversation. They'd been locked up for hours now and so far no captor had showed up to explain to them why they were taken. So normal conversation, small talk type things.

"We're locked up in a room and you're asking me how long I've lived in town?" David asked bluntly, cocking his eyebrow.

Derek cocked his eyebrow in the exact same fashion. "Well, do you have a better idea?" he demanded. "We're kind of stuck here and I'm bored."

David nodded after a moment. "Okay then," he said. "I've lived in Storybrooke for as long as I can remember. And that's not much."

"Oh? And why can't you remember?"

"I was in a coma," he explained. "I kinda…don't remember anything before my coma." He shook his head. "What about you? Where are you and your wife from?"

"We're from Virginia," Derek said. "We've been friends for a decade, but I'd been so wrapped up in my own stupidity that I never told her how I felt. I was a huge idiot, but as soon as I told her everything, my life turned around." A somewhat dreamy look overtook his face. David observed him. It was touching how much the man loved his wife. And yet again his mind shot to Mary-Margaret. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he needed to do the same thing that Derek had done. He needed to get his act together.

"You know, I need to do the same thing," he said absentmindedly.

"Well, it tends to help the situation," he said. "Trust me. Tell your girl how you feel."

Before he said anymore, an odd light entered their prison and swept over them. They looked at each other from where they were sitting and their eyes grew wide. David's memories began to flood back to him. He saw the Enchanted Forest and the battles he'd fought. He saw Snow – Mary-Margaret – the woman he loved. And the man he saw in front of him right then wasn't really an outsider or a stranger to him, it was his old ally and friend the Huntsman.

"Derek?" he asked loudly. "Derek the Huntsman?"

The other man's eyes grew wide and he nodded as well. "In the flesh," he said. "Your Highness, it's been a long time." He gave him a small smile. "So this is what the Queen's curse did to us? Sent us to this place?"

David nodded. "I guess," he said. "But my question right now is what we're doing here. It's obvious that Regina did something. I hope she hasn't done anything to Snow or Penelope. Or anyone else for that matter."

"We've gotta find a way out of here," Derek growled, looking around at their surroundings. "I definitely don't want to stick around here if she is planning on doing something to them. God, we need to get out of here!"

"I'm working on these ties, but it's slow going," David told him as he worked to get the ropes undone. He was working at a small fray in the ropes. "Whoever tied these didn't do very well. Let me work on it a little while."

"The sooner you're done with it, the better," Derek grunted.

XXXXX

"Snow, oh my God!" Penelope shouted happily, throwing her arms around her friend's neck. "I can't believe I'm seeing you again! Your daughter, she did it! Emma broke the curse!"

Mary-Margaret's arms wrapped tightly around Penelope's shoulders and tears fell from her eyes. "She did, didn't she?" she said, thinking of Emma and wondering how it had been done. "I'm so glad to be seeing you after all these years. I wonder why Regina sent you and Derek away from Storybrooke, though. You would think she would keep us all together, but you two were sent –" She paused. "Oh, we have to find David and Derek! We've got to figure out what the hell is going on."

Penelope rose swiftly from her perch and jumped up and down like a child for a moment. "My magic!" she cried. "I'll use it to find them!" Closing her eyes, she tried desperately to call upon her magic, but when she couldn't get even a single ounce of it to come to her. Frowning, she tried once more. Still nothing.

Mary-Margaret stood as well. "We're in a world without magic," she said blankly. "We're going to have to find them on our own."

With a growl, Penelope said, "And I think I know just who to ask."

The same glare lit up Mary-Margaret's face. "I know exactly where her house is," she hissed. "Time to storm the Queen's castle."

XXXXX

"Any luck over there?" Derek called to David. Damn he wished he had his pocket knife, but seeing as he was taken in the middle of the night in his pajamas, he didn't happen to have it on him at the time.

"Still working on it," David replied. "As I said, it's slow going, but it's coming along."

Derek cursed. "I swear to God I'm going to find a way to kick Regina's ass for this," he growled.

This caused David to chuckle. "Learned a few new tricks in this world to help us with that if her magic is still as strong?" he asked.

Derek would have stroked his chin if his hands had been free. "Quite possibly," he mused. "I got sent here as an FBI agent."

"Impressive," David laughed. "I'm hoping this is gonna work. Then we can put those FBI skills of yours to use."

Derek laughed. "I am very ready."


End file.
